MathFiction: Inflexible Logic (Russell Maloney)

a list compiled by Alex Kasman (College of Charleston)

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Inflexible Logic (1940)

Russell Maloney
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There is a famous example of probability which (in one of its many forms) states that six chimpanzees randomly typing at six typewriters would eventually reproduce all of the books in the British museum. In this story, six chimps begin doing exactly that -- without producing any errors or gibberish. The mathematician feels obligated to be a vigilante and defend the laws of probability (which he says take everything into account...including his own actions) by killing the apes before they get too far.
Reprinted in Fantasia Mathematica.

Contributed by Joseph Blanc

Maloney uses no explicit math but he understands far better than engineers at NASA that the improbable will eventually occur. I first read this as a teen-ager and still pick it up now, decades later.

Contributed by Anonymous

As a card-carrying cynic, I really appreciated this story. The fact that I read it when I was still at the impressionable point in my life probably affected my weltanschaung (i.e. scarred me for life!). Great story, well written; I especially liked the end as the last monkey starts typing the opening to "Uncle Tom's Cabin" as he dies.

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Works Similar to Inflexible Logic

According to my `secret formula', the following works of mathematical fiction are similar to this one:

The Law by Robert M. Coates
Been a long, long time by R.A. Lafferty
The Gigantic Fluctuation by Arkady Strugatsky / Boris Strugatsky
The Fifth-Dimension Catapult by Murray Leinster
The Wall of Darkness by Arthur C. Clarke
The Magic Staircase by Nelson Slade Bond
The Imaginary by Isaac Asimov
The Living Equation by Nathan Schachner
The Year of the Jackpot by Robert A. Heinlein
The Non-Statistical Man by Raymond F. Jones

Ratings for Inflexible Logic:

Ratings

Have you seen/read this work of mathematical fiction? Then click here to enter your own votes on its mathematical content and literary quality or send me comments to post on this Webpage.

Mathematical Content:
2.67/5 (6 votes)

Literary Quality:
3.17/5 (6 votes)

Categories:

Genre	Science Fiction,
Motif	Evil mathematicians, Mental Illness,
Topic	Probability/Statistics,
Medium	Short Stories,

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Where are the new works of mathematical fiction?: As you can see from this chronological listing, this database includes many works of mathematical fiction for each year from 1990 to 2025. Strangely, only two are listed for 2026, so far. Either less mathematical fiction is being published than in previous years or I'm just having more trouble finding it. If you know of any works of fiction that should be added to this list, especially recently published ones, please let me know. (Keep in mind that I do not include self-published works or children's fiction that just covers elementary mathematical concepts.) Thanks!

(Maintained by Alex Kasman, College of Charleston)